Slain Bloomfield man marks end of homicide-free streak in Newark

Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerNewark detectives investigate the scene of an early morning shooting death on Mapes Avenue in Newark.NEWARK -- A gunshot ended a man’s life today and broke a stretch of 37 homicide-free days in the city, city police said.

The last homicide was Feb.28, and city officials had hoped to break a 43-day span set in March and April 2008, the longest period since 1961 without a homicide.

Khalil Hamlette, a 26-year-old Bloomfield resident, was fatally shot in the head on Hunterdon Street early today morning.

Hamlette was found at 4 a.m. on Hunterdon Street between Lehigh and Mapes avenues, said Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office. Hamlette was transported to University Hospital where he died a short time later.

Newark police said the shooter fled in a blue vehicle with two male occupants.

Taji Mahmound, Hamlette’s older sister, said he leaves behind two infant sons who were born in November and December last year. "He was a loving person. He was the life of the party," Mahmound said.

Yesterday’s homicide was the 11th homicide in Newark this year, the same number of homicides at this time last year, said Newark police detective Todd McClendon. He added that shooting incidents are down 12 percent from 2009.

Hamlette’s death came after a string of five shootings since Monday, according to law enforcement officials. City police spokesman Hubert Henderson confirmed the first shooting, on Goodwin and Renner Avenues shortly after 5:30 p.m. Monday, but police have declined to comment about the four additional reported shootings.

Police Director Garry McCarthy has said that arrests of 149 suspects on drug charges at drug havens like the Garden Spires apartments helped the department stifle homicides in March.

Jon Shane, a former Newark police officer who now teaches at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, said while a homicide-free month is pleasing, there’s no evidence that it happened because of anything the police did.

"I do not believe homicides are down for one month because the police arrested drug dealers at Garden Spires," Shane said. "Crime will ebb flow and a decline in a single month is not representative of the entire trend. If (police) activities continue as they are and homicides rise next month, what is the answer? The answer is, there is no answer. Always look for a longer trend."